Tomorrow Night: Shavuot- My Favorite Jewish Holiday

Tomorrow night begins Shavuot, the most meaningful (to me) and favorite of Jewish holidays.  It commemorates that incredible day when God gave the newly freed Jews the Ten Commandments and the Torah.

People living in the US, might think that Chanukah is the major Jewish holiday, actually it is a very minor holiday.  Shavuot is one of the three major festivals (the other two are Passover and Sukkot). In biblical days, Jews would travel from all over the Holy Land to Jerusalem to make a sacrifice at the Holy Temple on those three festivals.  

Shavout celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and is also known as Hag Matan Torateinu (the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah). Notice it says Giving of the Torah not receiving of the Torah.  We believe that Jews are always receiving the Torah, learning its meanings, understanding the mitzvot,---so receiving doesn't work because every time is the time of receiving the Torah.


Interesting Facts about Shavuot:

• Mount Sinai: We are taught that Mount Sinai was chosen because it was a "modest sized mountain" Not only because, Moses was an old man when he had to climb the mountain (up and down 4 times), but because God wanted to show that you did not have to be large in stature to meet your potential. Another reason Sinai was chosen was because it was outside of the Holy Land. There are basic laws given at Sinai that should apply to all people, Don't Kill for instance, only if the law was given outside of the Holy Land could God legitimately say that these basic rules of how people should approach their lives apply to everyone.

• The Revelation. Think about it for a second, we are told there were 603,000 people at Sinai, to hear Gods words in God's voice.The first two of the Ten Commandments were also heard directly from God speaking to the Jewish people, and not through Moses as an intermediary. Jewish tradition explains that the experience was so powerful, that the Jews "died" from the impact -- their souls left their bodies from the force of the interaction, and God had to "revive" them. After this happened twice, the Jewish people said, "Enough! We're convinced - Moses can tell us the rest of them!"  There is no religious event in the history of man kind where the presence of God was seen and heard by an entire nation.

• The First word of the Ten Commandments is in Egyptian.  In the Torah Anochi (I am), is not in Hebrew but in Egyptian. Seven weeks ago these Israelites were slaves in Egypt, the Lord wanted them to feel comfortable, so he started with an Egyptian Word.

• Its not really the Ten Commandments, at least in Judaism. In Biblical Hebrew, the commandments are called עשרת הדברים (transliterated Aseret ha-Dvarîm) and in Rabbinical Hebrew עשרת הדברות (transliterated Aseret ha-Dibrot), both translatable as "the ten words" or "the ten things.  While many Rabbis believe that all of the rest of the Commandments stem from these Ten, they also teach that all 613 commandments in the Torah are equal. Pirkei Avot, a book of the Mishnah, teaches "Be as meticulous in performing a 'minor' mitzvah as you are with a 'major' one, because you don't know what kind of reward you'll get for various mitzvot."

• Moses' Father-in-Law Gets Top Billing? The Name of the Parsha (weekly Torah reading)  that the revelation occurs is not named after the Ten Commandments, it is called Yitro, after Moses' father-in-law who was not Jewish. There are only two Parshot in the Torah named after a non Jew so this is a big deal. At the beginning of this Parsha Yitro sits Moses down and explains to him how to delegate so he can spend more time with family.  This teaches us two things, to God Shalom Ha-Bayit (peace in the House) is more important than anything, spending time with family is also God's work. It also teaches us that father-in-laws are supposed to butt in.

• All Night Study Sessions:  Just before God gives us the Commandments, the Torah says, It came to pass on the third day when it was morning, that there were thunder claps and lightning flashes, and a thick cloud was upon the mountain, and a very powerful blast of a shofar, and the entire nation that was in the camp shuddered. The Rabbis interpret this as God was already on the top of the Mountain waiting for us, but we  had overslept so the Lord had to "make a racket and wake us up" So on the first evening of the holiday we have a  Tikkun Leil Shavuot (Repairing the Evening of Shavout). We spend all night studying Torah, to remember that we screwed up and overslept. We are showing God that we appreciate the Torah he gave us, and we are not going to oversleep again.

• Pizza, Blintzes and Ice Cream, Why Shavuot is my Favorite Jewish Holiday.  When God was done with giving us the Torah that day, we were told that the Israelite people realized that their plates were not "Kosher." While they were making their plates and utensils Kosher, they ate only dairy. So....We DO TOO.  That is 48 hours of Pizza, Blitzes and Cookies and Cream Ice Cream (any flavor is OK, that's Just my favorite). That's why Shavuot is my Favorite Jewish Holiday. The two days of Shavuot, are the only two day of the year you can tell your wife "Yes Honey, the doctor did tell me to lose weight, but this is not splurging, I am only eating this pint of Hagan-Daz because I am following God's Law...How Cool is that.

Have a wonderful holiday and eat lots of your favorite flavor, remember, its Gods Will

And as for those "Ten Words they are below (H/T GOD)

Then God said all these words: "I am ADONAI your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the abode of slavery.

Commandment 1
"You are to have no other gods before me.

Commandment 2
You are not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the shoreline. You are not to bow down to them or serve them; for I, ADONAI your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my mitzvot.

Commandment 3
"You are not to use lightly the name of ADONAI your God, because ADONAI will not leave unpunished someone who uses his name lightly.

Commandment 4
"Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God. You have six days to labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Shabbat for ADONAI your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work -not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the for eigner staying with you inside the gates to your property. For in six days, ADONAI made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. This is why ADONAI blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for himself.

Commandment 5
"Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land which ADONAI your God is giving you.

Commandment 6


"Do not murder.

Commandment 7
"Do not commit adultery.

Commandment 8


"Do not steal.

Commandment 9

"Do not give false evidence against your neighbor.


Commandment 10 
"Do not covet your neighbor's house; do not covet your neighbor's wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Newsbusted Exclusive: Obama Suggests US Take Greece's Place In Eurozone

With Greece threatening to leave the Eurozone which may throw much of the western world into a recession or worse, President Obama has offered regional government a replacement--the United States. Not only that but he apologized on behalf of the country that he did not think of the solution earlier. Obama says it would be an easy transition, Europe is the heart of world socialism and the president's policies are based on European socialism. The EU hates Israel and Obama hates Israel.  The only snag to the deal being made is Barack Obama's insistence that the Eurozone elect Joe Biden as their leader (and keep him there forever). The Europeans have suggested that they would prefer to have a recession or a nuclear attack than Joe Biden.

Other news items covered in the latest installment of Newsbusted the twice-weekly faux news feature from Newsbusters.org include;  a thief's weird alibi about robbing Supreme Court Justice Breyer, LA Lakers Meta-World Peace believes that the NBA MVP award should be his, and Gayle Kings tell-all book about Oprah.

This episode of Newsbusted is the the funniest two and a half minutes seen since Obam's recent claim that he is one of the most frugal presidents in the history of America.

So enjoy the video below, and if you cannot see it please click here

Brett Kimberlin: The Narcissistic Terrorist-UPDATED W/Links To Other's Posts

Today is international "Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day,"precipitated by the domestic terrorists campaign of intimidation against conserve bloggers such as  R.S. McCain, Aaron Worthing, Liberty Chick, Patterico,  and others.  The guy even has a website dedicated to trashing Andrew Brietbart (he went after Andrew while he was alive also), Kimberlin has as site called Breitbart Unmasked which I will not grace with a link.

Stacy McCain calls  the ”Breitbart Unmasked” site Not Brett Kimberlin because of the claim that Kimberlin is not behind the site. If it isn't Kimberlin than it must be some sort of psychic because the nameless blogger has posted details of the Kimberlin/Mrs. McCain incident which "The Other McCain" has never discussed in public or published.

Rather than give the list of all the bad things he has done, or talk about the money he as gotten from Barbara Streisand and George Soros' Tides Foundation, Teresa Heinz Kerry and other progressive one percenters, I will focus today on some of his most violent crimes

Labeling Brett Kimberlin a terrorist is more a function of my inadequate verbal skills than his fitting in to a traditional definition of terrorism.  For me, a terrorist is someone who uses violence (or the threat of violence) against non-combatants to frighten the general public and weaken their collective wills in order to achieve some sort of political goal.  While the first part violence and frightening describes Kimberlin, there is no real political goal, he uses terror to protect himself.  He is accused of committing violent acts as part of a cover-up to avoid prosecution for other violent acts. There is no political goal, just a base criminal trying to stay out of jail. This Ponzi scheme-like reign of violence is more aptly described as narcissism than terrorism.

On July 29, 1978, Speedway resident Julia Scyphers, 65, answered a knock at her door. A man she didn't know was standing on her stoop asking about items she'd recently tried to sell at a yard sale. She let him into the garage to look at the items and he shot her in the head.

Mrs. Scypher's husband, Fred, 68, heard the bang and came out in time to see a car pulling out of the driveway. He would later tell police he'd gotten a glimpse of the man who'd come to the door.

The motive behind the crime would only come out later. According to police the victim believed that Kimberlin had an inappropriate relationship with one of her young granddaughters. The child's  Mom worked for the narcissist at his vegetarian restaurant. . Grandma Julia was so concerned about the suspected  relationship she'd arranged for both of her granddaughters to come live with her. 

When the police learned of the Grandmother's protective action they began to consider Kimberlin a very likely suspect for the murder. Police suspect that Kimberlin had his associate William Bowman shoot the 65-year-old grandma for revenge. Neither William Bowman or Brett Kimberlin were tried for the crime. Bowman who was eventually arrested with Kimberlin as part of a drug bust,was picked out of a lineup by the crime's only witness, the victim's husband. Police  believed Kimberlin was behind it and hoped to get Bowman to reveal the connection as he faced his own trial. Sadly Fred Scypher died soon after and because there was no witness charges were dropped.

A month after the crime, toward the end of August, the police pressure on Kimberlin increased and "coincidentally"  something else began to happen in the town of Speedway. During the week of Sept. 1-6 bombs began to go off through out the town.

With each bomb there was new evidence.

They found bits of the timer, including one big enough to identify the specific brand. Only one local store sold that particular timer. Police showed the store clerks several photos and one of them picked out Brett Kimberlin.

Meanwhile at a different store, a Westside print shop, the proprietor was becoming suspicious of customer who wanted to reproduce military drivers licenses. The shop owner called the U.S. Army and when the customer came back, on Sept. 20, an Army investigator was there too. The customer was wearing a security guard's uniform with Department of Defense insignia. It was Brett Kimberlin.

This gave the bombing investigators a break because Kimberlin had violated federal law by wearing the DoD insigina. They obtained a search warrant to inspect the car he'd driven to the print shop. In the trunk they found timers just like the ones used for the bombs, and they found chemical traces of Tovex, the explosive used in the bombs.

It took take three separate trials to convict Kimberlin of the bombings. In the first trial he was found guilty of impersonating a DOD security guard but the jury was hung on all the other charge. A year later, Kimberlin was convicted of illegal possession of explosives and a hung jury on the rest.  The third trial was the charm -it took 53 days and 118 witnesses and ended with a conviction on the bombing charges on Oct. 15, 1981. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

There was only one death attributed to the Speedway Bombing case and it was a suicide. Carl DeLong was maimed in the killers final bombing. He lost a not only lost his right leg, but his left leg had been severely damaged also. Carl's body was riddled with shrapnel from the bomb, which kept him in horrible pain. After 11 operations he knew he'd never get any better than that. On Feb. 23, 1983, he closed his garage door and sat in his van with the engine running. Carl's wife Sandra (who had also been injured in the bombing), won a $1.6 million judgment against Kimberlin in civil court. see Kimberlin v. DeLong, 637 N.E.2d 121 (Ind., 1994),

Even before his release from prison 10 years ago, Brett Kimberlin had learned a lesson that has served him well: If you publicly accuse a well-known political figure of crimes or misdeeds -- even without proof -- publicity and money will follow.

Kimberlin, a convicted bomber and drug dealer, learned that lesson in 1988, when he claimed from his prison cell that he had been Dan Quayle’s marijuana dealer in college. The claim got a lot of attention because Quayle was running for vice president of the United States at the time.

Now, 22 years later, Kimberlin has taken that lesson and made unfounded accusations a profession of sorts. Using two popular leftist blogs, the 56-year-old from Bethesda, Md., has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from the public and left-leaning foundations by promising to put conservatives he disagrees with in jail, often with offers of large rewards. So far -- without success -- he has called for the arrest of Karl Rove, Andrew Breitbart, Chamber of Commerce head Tom Donohue, Massey Energy Chairman Don Blankenship and other high-profile public figures.

Maybe that's why rich progressives like to fund Kimberlin's "charities" Velvet Revelation and Justice Through Music, as the fake accusation is also a standard weapon of the left, especially since Obama began to his run for the oval office. After all, are Kimberlin's fake charges against Quayle much different than the left's nasty habit of accusing anyone who disagrees with the president of racism?

As for Kimberlin, he continues is reign of terror, not with violence but with the threat of violence...not with criminal acts but with "lawfare" abusing the court system by filing false charges and lawsuits.  But Kimberlin is still not a terrorist, he is not using lawfare to scare people and achieve a political end. Brett Kimberlin is still a low-life criminal narcissist, littering the courts and the internet in an attempt to frighten conservatives away from his violent crimes.

Since this is Everyone blog about Brett Kimberlin Day Below are some links to Kimberlin posts put up during the past 24 hours-the list was  compiled by yours truly and by Duane Lester-The All American Blogger). I will continue to update this thoughout the day so if you want me to add your post either email it to me (yidwithlid at aol dot com) or tweet it to me (twitter handle Yidwithlid)

Please click on each of the links below and learn everything about this danger to society:

• Three Beers Later – Brett Kimnberlin and Money for… Not Much, Really…

• Camp of the Saints – D-Minus-1: Preparing For Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day

• Daily Pundit – Of Course: I Should Have Seen It Sooner! Kimberlin Is Auditioning!

• Publius’ Forum – Brett Kimberlin: Liberals Embrace Convicted Criminal as Their Own

• WyBlog: I stand with Stacy McCain, wherever he is

• Ace of Spades – Brett Kimberlin Plotted To Have Witnesses, Former Assistant US Attorney Killed; Had Another Scheme To Have an Inmate Plant Another Bomb So That LEO’s Would Think They Locked Up The Wrong Man

• The Other McCain – Lying Felon Can’t Stop Lying

• Flap’s Blog – Day By Day Featuring Brett Kimberlin for May 24, 2012

•  American Glob – STACY MCCAIN SUMMONS THE ARMY OF DAVIDS

• All American Blogger- Who Is Brett Kimberlin, Why You Need To Know and The Biggest Linkaround EVAH!

• All American Blogger-Podcast of Interview with Stacy McCain

• The Campaign Spot National Review-Why Are SWAT Teams Being Used as Tools of Harassment?

• Patterico – Convicted Bomber Brett Kimberlin, Neal Rauhauser, Ron Brynaert, and Their Campaign of Political Terrorism

• The Other McCain – Maybe The #BrettKimberlin ‘Justice Through Music Project’ Is Just A Leslie Nielsen Reference

• Pirate’s Cove – Stand Against Abusive Felon Brett Kimberlin (sticky for the day)

• The Camp of the Saints: D-Day: OPERATION #BrettKimberlin Is Underway [Updated Below]

• The Lonely Conservative – Speedway Bomber Brett Kimberlin Poked a Bees Nest

• Big Government: Kimberlin Funders Stunned to Discover they Fund Kimberlin

• The Agitator: Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day

• Gay Patriot – I stand with Stacy. And Aaron. And Patterico

• Bookworm – Hurrah! It’s Everybody Blog About #BrettKimberlin Day

• Rhymes with Right – Brett Kimberlin — Terrorist

• The Mental Recession – Today We Stand Up Against Serial Domestic Terrorists, Today We Stand Beside Champions of Free Speech

• The Lid – Brett Kimberlin: The Narcissistic Terrorist

• All Patriots Media – The Quick Six – Blog About Brett Kimberlin Edition – 5/25/12

• The Other McCain – KimberlinFiles.org

• HillBuzz: Domestic Terrorism On The Internet: The Brett Kimberlin Saga

• The Stix Blog:Today is a Day We Stand Up For Free Speech

• Evil Blogger Lady – Brett Kimberlin

• Reason: Patterico, Brett Kimberlin, and the Super-Chilling of Free Speech

• Right Wing News: Interviewing Robert Stacy McCain About Brett Kimberlin

• Faustasblog: Blog About #BrettKimberlin Day

• Michelle Malkin  Free speech blogburst: Show solidarity for targeted conservative bloggers; Update: It’s Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day; Donation fund for targets-Also Michelle has links to other Kimberlin here posts not found on this site.

• The Blaze: Meet Soros-Funded Domestic Terrorist Brett Kimberlin Whose ‘Job’ Is Terrorizing Bloggers Into Silence

• Radio Patriot: An Army of Davids Marches Forth

• The Tatler-It’s Lying Felon Brett Kimberlin’s Day in the Sun

•  Marathon Pundit: Expose Brett Kimberlin: We won't be bullied anymore

• Cold Fury: This means war

• RedRedhead-Brett Kimberlin: Liberal Activist and Domestic Terrorist

• A Little California Dog:Who is Brett Kimberlin, and why should you care?

• Stacy on The Right: Blogburst For Freedom And Against Brett Kimberlin

• The Minority Report: Today is “Everybody Blog/Tweet/FB About #brettkimberlin Day”

• The Conservatory: Notorious Domestic Terrorist Brett Kimberlin Exposure Day Post [With Lots of Updates]

• The Right Scoop: Who is Brett Kimberlin? #Brettkimberlin

• The Mental Recession: Today We Stand Up Against Serial Domestic Terrorists, Today We Stand Beside Champions of Free Speech

• American Power Blog: #StandYourGroundConservatives! — May 25th Solidarity Blogburst Stands Up to Brett Kimberlin and the Left's Intimidation Network

•  Ben Franklin Slept Here-The Brett Kimberlin Photo Gallery

• Mulieris Dignitatem: Giving Scumbag All The Attention He Deserves

• My Two Cents Worth:Blogging About Brett Kimberlin

• Shout First, Ask Questions Later-Giving Scumbag All The Attention He Deserves 

• Film Ladd-Top Ten Signs You Are Being Harassed By Brett Kimberlin

• Matthew Vadum at Front Page: Brett Kimberlin and the Hall of Fame of Leftist Terrorists

• Absolute Moral Authority: Brett Kimberlin Day

• Atlas Shrugs: “Speedway Bomber” Brett Kimberlin Threatens Blogger 

• dagelijksestandaard.nl (for our Dutch Readers) Conservatieven geven linksgekkie Brett Kimberlin koekje van eigen deeg

• Lawrence Person's Battle Swarm Blog: My Obligatory Blog Post About Convicted Felon Brett Kimberlin

• Riehl World View: Why The Brett Kimberlin Story Is A Bigger Problem For Progressives Than You May Realize

• Protein Wisdom: I think I was meant to be intimidated [updated]

• The Franklin Center: Holding Political Terrorist Brett Kimberlin Accountable

• The Jawa Report: Convicted Bomber Brett Kimberlin, Neal Rauhauser, Ron Brynaert and Their Campaign of Political Terrorism

• Jim Hoft, the Gateway Pundit, Writing for FreedomWorks: FreedomWorks Stands With Our Fellow Conservatives on 'Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day

• Erik Soderstrom: Go Forth and Research Brett Kimberlin

• Ben Howe On Red State: Kimberlin’s Associates Caught on Tape? 

• Long Time Gone:  Brett Kimberlin Domestic Terrorist

• Bookworm: Hurrah! It’s Everybody Blog About #BrettKimberlin Day *UPDATED & BUMPED

• Diary of Daedalus: Charles Johnson still refuses to admit his ties to Neal Rauhauser and Brett Kimberlin

• Nice Deb: Everyone Blog About Brett Kimberlin Link-Around

• The Iconic Midwest-Breaking My Silence For Convicted Domestic Terror Bomber Brett Kimberlin Day 

• Letters From Glome: Brett Kimberlin and His Cohort of Baddies

• Villainous Company:Must Read Post of the Day. Possibly, the Year

• LorieByrd.Com: Harnessing the Power of the Right Blogosphere: "Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin" Day

• MRC TV:Did "Speedway Bomber" Brett Kimberlin Write a Song About One of His Victims? 

• The Water Cooler: PICKET: Sen. Hatch - 'No surprise' Kimberlin is harassing conservative bloggers-Utah GOP'er had 'run-ins' with Kimberlin before

• Ironic Surrealism: Scandalous! Convicted Bomber & Blogosphere Terrorist #BrettKimberlin Is Partnering With The State Dept.

• A Plebe's Site: Progressives, Terrorists, and Civility

• A Conservative Lesbian: Fight political terrorism by convicted felon Brett Kimberlin, Neal Rauhauser and Ron Brynaert

• Wake Up America: Brett Kimberlin, Speedway Bomber: This Is Part Of The Free Speech Blogburst -Hashtag #BrettKimberlin

• Babalu':“Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day”

• My Thoughts: In Honor of Carl Delong 

• The Razor: BlogBurst Friday for Free Speech

• Catholic Bandita: Why the Brett Kimberlin Story Could be a Tipping Point

• That Mr. G Guy's Blog:Soros-Funded Campaign of Political Terrorism

• The Trenches: For Brett Kimberlin, It All Started With A Little Girl

• Simple Justice: Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day

•  NoOneOfAnyImport:Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day #BrettKimberlin

• Twitchy: Media malpractice: Even with #BrettKimberlin trending, lapdog media remains silent

• Ricks Rants: 41st Rant: Brett Kimberlin 

• The Write Side of My Brain: Who is Brett Kimberlin and why should I care?

• Chicks on the Right: Watch This. This Is How Low Liberals Will Go To Silence Conservatives.

• Mimsy Were the Borogoves: Using the police as a weapon

•  Me And My Soldier Man: THE NIGHT I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED BECAUSE OF MY BLOGGING

• Legal Insurrection: A Brett Kimberlin situation “could happen to you”

• McNorman: This Can Happen To Anyone & It’s WRONG 

• Midnight Blue Says: Stand Up For Free Speech Blogburst

• Allergic To Bull (one of Kimberlin's Victims):If You Are Coming Here for the First Time Today

• Lee Stranahan (The Guy Who Got This Started): Welcome To Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day. 

And don't forget KimberinFiles.org where the National Bloggers Club is helping Aaron and Stacy in the immediacy and working on a potential legal defense fund to protect them, Mandy, and Patterico they can keep up their invaluable work .

Awww--We Hurt Chris Matthews' Feelings-Should We Feel Guilty? (NO)

Oh boy...I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight.  The constant taunts of right-wingers (like yours truly) about his famous "thrill up his leg" comment has hurt Chris Matthews feelings.

CSPAN’s Steve Scully, asked Matthews about whether he still feels the that thrill during a media panel at a convention in Boston. Matthews answered with some venom, not being able to hide his hurt feelings about the treatment he has been getting from conservatives about that comment:

"Is the thrill still there?" asked Scully.


"I hope that you feel satisfied that you've used the most obvious question that is raised by every horse's ass right-winger I ever bump into," Matthews responded, after defending the comment.


Matthews said that he made the comment because he has "traditional values" and loves his country. "I do have physical reactions when people are talking about my country," he added, noting that a news anchor like Tom Brokaw wouldn't have said it.


"Perhaps I shouldn't have said so because I've given a lot of jackasses the chance to talk about it," Matthews continued.


"And usually they say 'tingle' which says something about their orientation, but that's alright," he added. Later he interjected, "Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. I have to throw that in."

Obviously Matthews still doesn't get it's not the statement itself we are making fun of its his bias, and the bias of his network that we are mocking. It's the fact that he has his head so far up the president's arse that he doesn't even realize the ignorant bias flowing from his thrilled mouth.

Oh and by the way Chris, I don't use "tingle" I prefer tinkle as depicted in the photo above. Every time you are on TV it is apparent that President Obama makes you so happy you could just pee in your pants.

(H/T Washington Examiner)

Egyptian Moderates? Yeah Right!

By Barry Rubin

Consider one fact that demolishes the apparatus of nonsense about moderate Islamists and the credibility of those claiming there is nothing to worry about. These are the same people who have been declaring for more than a year that the Muslim Brotherhood is moderate. Yet now the Brotherhood’s presidential campaign has shown it to be extraordinarily radical, openly demanding a caliphate and that Egypt become a Sharia state.

Suddenly they change the subject. Nobody acknowledges that they were wrong about the Brotherhood. They focus now on a different candidate who we are told is the true moderate Islamist, as if their previous favorite “moderate Islamist” movement has now thrown off its camouflage.

“Democracy, as Western democracies have long known,” wrote Shadi Hamid, in predicting a Brotherhood majority in the parliamentary election some months ago, “is about the right to make the wrong choice.” True. But foreign policy, as everyone has long known, is about dealing with the consequences of wrong outcomes and trying to prevent them if possible.

We are told that Abdul Moniem Abul Fotouh is the “moderate Islamist” candidate for president of Egypt whom the West should support. He promises that Egypt will be an Islamic but civil state with equality for all of its citizens. The problem is that Abul Fotouh keeps making statements that belie that image, statements never mentioned by those who ridicule fears about Egypt’s new government.

One ignorant neoconservative wrote in a Canadian newspaper that the regime couldn’t be dangerous because in the presidential debate the question of Israel was only raised near the end. Naturally, the debate structure wasn’t determined by Fotouh and what he said about Israel was quite threatening, namely that it is a racist enemy based on occupation and threatening Muslims with 200 nuclear weapons. At any rate, the main problem is not what the new regime will do to Israel but what it will do to Egypt, eventually followed by what it will do to Israel.

This follows, of course, the national security editor of the National Journal explaining that there’s no danger of a radical Islamist Egypt because he could find one (neo)conservative who agreed with him on that issue. What’s truly funny here is that I’m not exaggerating in describing their best arguments.

Here is a new statement by Abul Fotouh. In an interview on an Egyptian television station, Abul Fotouh said he was against “terrorism” but then explained that Usama bin Ladin was not a terrorist, that the United States only called him one in order to “hit Muslim interests,” and that the killing of bin Ladin was an “act of state terrorism.” In other words, he’s saying September 11 wasn’t an act of terrorism but that Obama’s policy is anti-Muslim and terrorist.

I’d agree that he’s better than the official Muslim Brotherhood candidate but there are still lots of other problems with this “moderate Islamist”:

• Does he mean to keep liberal promises that contradict his previous (and current) statements on many issues?

• Can he deliver on these promises even if he wanted to do so? The Islamist non-moderate parliament and the Constitution it will write is unlikely to be along the lines he claims to advocate. 

• While the other leading candidate, Amr Moussa, would resist Islamization of Egyptian society and policy, Abul Fotouh would support it, believing he can stop at a certain point, having both Sharia rule and a tolerant liberal approach.

Yet what he would actually be doing is to preside–whatever his intentions–over the Islamization process that cannot be easily stopped or reversed. –If he does resist the radical parliament it will just limit his power in the Constitution. Remember that the role of the president has not yet been defined and Abul Fotouh will play no role in legally defining it.

• How many supporters does Abul Fotouh have in parliament? Answer: Zero. Yes, the Salafists (25 percent of parliament) support his candidacy but they are more extreme than the Brotherhood. Will he alienate this base so that every Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist in parliament votes against him on every issue?

• Can a civil state be run under Islamic law? He says that he will give equality to women and Christians, to liberals and socialists. Is he going to appoint such people to high offices? Remember that non-Islamist regimes found a way to balance on this issue by appeasing the Islamists and traditionalist clerics up to a point but then using their dictatorial powers to do other things (grant a bit more rights to women; ally with the United States and make peace with Israel; implement civil law imported from Europe, etc). A democratic state dependent on a pro-Islamist electorate cannot do that.

• What would he do when Salafists–the people who voted for him—attack churches, women not wearing “proper” clothing, and secularists? Call out the army and repress them? Remember what matters is not just what the state does itself but also what it allows others to do.

Have you seen any of these points–even one–mentioned in the mass media, much less being given a fair hearing? I have been told that the U.S. government has not seriously considered or developed any contingency plan on what to do if a radical, Islamist Egypt emerges threatening U.S. interests and making more likely a future war with Israel. Compare this with two articles that show the fears of this Egyptian liberal and another such person at a time when many such people and the Christian minority are in despair.

While real debate about Egypt is largely suppressed, we have a fascinating example of what the mass media will permit on the issue in Turkish journalist Mustafa Akyol’s op-ed in the New York Times. Suppose you were skeptical about the dominant U.S intellectual, Obama Administration, mass media narrative of Islamism and events in the Middle East? The only way to get an op-ed into the newspaper is to accept its framework but inject a bit of doubt.

Thus, the title of the op-ed is “Can Islamists Be Liberals?” Not only do the hegemonic forces deem the answer to that question to be “Yes” but regard anyone who questions it to be fit only to dwell in the outer darkness.

What Akyol does so skillfully (the fact that he’s a Muslim makes it more permissible) is to avoid outright questioning of that thesis–if he said “no” one doubts his article would have been published–but to put the ball in the other side’s court: He challenges the Islamists to prove they are real democrats. Of course, his lead begs the question:

“For years, foreign policy discussions have focused on the question of whether Islam is compatible with democracy. But this is becoming passé. In Tunisia and Egypt, Islamists, who were long perceived as opponents of the democratic system, are now promoting and joyfully participating in it. Even the Salafis now have deputies sitting in the Egyptian Parliament, thanks to the ballots that they, until very recently, denounced as heresy.”


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Barry Rubin, Israel: An Introduction (Yale University Press) is the first comprehensive book providing a well-rounded introduction to Israel, a definitive account of the nation's past, its often controversial present, and much more. It presents a clear and detailed view of the country’s land, people, history, society, politics, economics, and culture. This book is written for general readers and students who may have little knowledge but even well-informed readers tell us they’ve learned new things.Please click on the picture of the book on the right column of this site to purchase and/or get more information on the book.
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Well, if you’ve been following this question closely, the outcome is not the least bit surprising. After all, Islamists have been running for election in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan for many years. Hamas ran and won in the Palestinian territories six years ago. (Funny, there doesn’t seem to have been an election since then.) Even in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood has been running in elections for years, though usually as part of another party. So the issue is not whether they are willing to run, if offered the opportunity, but whether they are going to win.

Akyol continues: “For those concerned about extremism in the Middle East, this is good news. It was the exclusion and suppression of Islamists by secular tyrants that originally bred extremism. (Ayman al-Zawahri, Al Qaeda’s leading ideologue, was a veteran of Hosni Mubarak’s torture chambers.)”

Now that second sentence may be true but in a very different way than it appears to be. The Islamists of the 1930s and 1940s, before there were “secular tyrants” were quite extreme. After all, for example, they sided with the Nazis and sought—albeit incompetently—to raise rebellions against the British and French as well as their own local rulers. Is it really hard to understand the difference between extremist ends and extremist tactics?

The goal is to seize state power and transform country and society. Precisely how one does it depends on the circumstances.

Thus, it is absurd to state as a fact, as Akyol does: “Islamists will become only more moderate when they are not oppressed, and only more pragmatic as they face the responsibility of governing.” That is a thesis about radicals that remains to be proved. It was said of Lenin and of Hitler, and more recently about Arafat and Khomeini.

It usually doesn’t work out that way, at least moderation can only occur after many decades have passed and many dead have fallen. At this point in his article, having appeased the deities of pro-Islamist “political [but not factual] correctness”, is where Akyol makes his ingenious point: “But there is another reason for concern: What if elected Islamist parties impose laws that curb individual freedoms — like banning alcohol or executing converts — all with popular support? What if democracy does not serve liberty?”

The day before his op-ed came out, I published an article in PJ Media entitled, “What Do Egyptians Want? A Democratically Elected Islamist Dictatorship.” And that’s precisely the point that Akyol makes, albeit in language that is acceptable to the mainstream media. To show his genius in playing within the currently permissible rules, Akyol then quotes a saint of the mainstream narrative to make his point:

“This question is seldom asked in the West, where democracy is often seen as synonymous with liberalism. However, as Fareed Zakaria warned in his 2003 book The Future of Freedom, there are illiberal democracies, too, where the majority’s power isn’t checked by constitutional liberalism, and the rights and freedoms of all citizens are not secured.”

If Zakaria said such a thing, it must be true, right? Of course it is no accident that Akyol is a Turk because, of course, though he never says so directly, this is precisely what’s been happening in his own country. The question he then raises is this: Just because Islam says it, must a government do it? I’d suggest that in the case of non-Islamist Muslims they can—as we’ve seen in many cases over many years—ignore those injunctions.

To believe, however, that Islamists can do it is quite a leap. After all, their whole reason for existence is to remake society and to impose Sharia law as they interpret it.

Think of this parallel: Would a social democratic government impose the dictatorship of the proletariat just because they were socialists or were originally rooted in Marxism? No, of course not.

Would a Communist government that adheres to Marxism-Leninism-Joe Stalin thought impose the dictatorship of the proletariat? That’s something quite different.

And Akyol actually proves my point: “When Muslims say Islam commands daily prayers or bans alcohol, are they talking about public obligations that will be enforced by the state or personal ones that will be judged by God?” Obviously, non-Islamist Muslims argue these are largely personal obligations; Islamists insist that they are public obligations.

The Saudis, Akyol points out, are hypocrites because they impose strict religiosity at home but then have a wild time abroad. How can this not remind us of William Shakespeare’s brilliant political observation: “Let me have men about me that are fat; Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o’ nights: Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.”

Or in other words, better a sybaritic hypocrite who takes bribes than a true-believing fanatic. In the latter category, think of the Taliban, the Iranian regime, Hamas, Hizballah, and Usama bin Ladin. Of course, the West generally believes there are no such thing as “fanatics,” they are all cynical, materialistic pragmatists under the skin. Yet at their moment of greatest triumph, believing Allah is behind them and the corrupt West is crumbling, which do you think the Muslim Brotherhood is going to be?

Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal. His book, Israel: An Introduction, has just been published by Yale University Press. Other recent books include The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley), and The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan). The website of the GLORIA Center and of his blog, Rubin Reports. His original articles are published at PJMedia.